Genia to have ankle surgery

Reds and Wallaby scrum-half Will Genia will be out for eight weeks after it was confirmed that he requires surgery on an ankle injury.

Reds and Wallaby half-back Will Genia will be out for eight weeks after it was confirmed he will undergo surgery on a right ankle injury this Tuesday.

Scans late last week confirmed a pre-existing injury to the upper part of the 55-times capped international's ankle had not healed sufficiently and as a result medical staff from both franchise and country agreed that surgery would be best.

Genia had initially suffered the injury in the Round 11 Super Rugby fixture against the Hurricanes although has pushed through the discomfort to be available for rugby selection until this point.

Rebels scrum-half Luke Burgess will now join the Wallabies' camp in Sydney, with Ewen McKenzie saying the timing of the surgery would allow Genia to be healthy for the Rugby Championship.

"Will has demonstrated enormous mental fortitude to play through the injury although it has reached a point where it's important he gets it surgically repaired so that he can get back to 100 percent fitness," McKenzie said in a statement.

"We've seen before how committed Will is when undergoing rehab and I would expect him to work hard to be available for selection when we begin our Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship campaign."

Reds coach Richard Graham commended Genia for his attitude since sustaining the injury.

"It's a credit to Will's toughness and character that he was willing to continue playing through the injury for the remainder of the season, but in his best interests we have all come to an agreement that surgery is the best option," Graham said.